Trump’s superpower, unpredictability, has given way to unreliability

It is unclear whether commitments made in Beijing will survive the flight home

Professor Stephen

May 26, 2026

1–2 minutes

It is unclear whether commitments made in Beijing will survive the flight home

Trump’s superpower, unpredictability, has given way to unreliability – The Japan Times Download

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Professor Stephen

Dr. Stephen Nagy is Professor of Politics and International Studies at the International Christian University, specializing in Indo-Pacific geopolitics and great power competition. He holds strategic appointments as Senior Fellow at the MacDonald Laurier Institute, Research Fellow at the Canadian Global Affairs Institute, and Visiting Fellow at the Japan Institute for International Affairs. His expertise is further recognized through affiliations with the Institute for Security and Development Policy, the East Asia Security Centre, and the Research Institute for Peace and Security. From 2017-2020, he served as Distinguished Fellow at the Asia Pacific Foundation. As Policy Studies Director for the Yokosuka Council of Asia Pacific Studies, Dr. Nagy leads the Indo-Pacific Policy Dialogue Series, and has contributed to regional business governance as a former Governor for the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in Japan. His academic credentials include previous tenure as Assistant Professor at the Chinese University of Hong Kong (2009-2014) and a doctorate in International Relations from Waseda University (2008). Dr. Nagy’s funded research examines critical regional dynamics, including “Sino-Japanese Relations in the Wake of the 2012 Territorial Disputes” and “Perceptions and Drivers of Chinese Views on Japanese and US Foreign Policy.” His current work focuses on middle power strategies amid great power competition in the Indo-Pacific. His policy-relevant consulting portfolio encompasses CPTPP expansion analysis, online extremism assessment in Japan, Sino-Japanese economic relations, and trilateral US-Japan-China dynamics. A sought-after geopolitical analyst, Dr. Nagy provides strategic insights to governments, corporations, and media outlets. His scholarly contributions appear in peer-reviewed journals including China Perspectives, East Asia, and International Studies Review. His policy analyses feature in prestigious publications such as China Economic Quarterly and World Commerce Review, while his commentary regularly reaches audiences through Diamond OnLine, SCMP, East Asian Forum, and global media platforms including the New York Times, BBC, CNN, Japan Times, cNBC, and Al Jazeera.